A New Watcher
by MoonWiccan6
Summary: Buffy needs a Watcher. When Giles refuses to come back, Buffy has no choice but to call the Council.
1. The Accident

Title: A New Watcher

Author: Ripper's Girl

Rating: FRT (teens)

Spoilers: Anything before and including Tabula Rasae, goes AU after that

Disclaimer: I own nothing. It all belongs to Joss, Mutant Enemy, FOX, etc. I'm just borrowing them for a little while.

Feedback: stands up My name is Kristin and I am a feedbackaholic

Summary: Buffy needs a Watcher. When Giles refuses to come back, Buffy has no choice but to call the Council.

Pairing: B/G, X/A, W/T

Note: This was from a challenge by Shelley found at the B/G Writer's Muse

Something happens to Buffy that causes her to really need a Watcher.  
Buffy calls Giles in Bath and asks him to come back to Sunnydale, but  
he thinks that she is simply trying to manipulate him and refuses to  
come. He later learns that she has taken another Watcher, and is  
absolutely overwhelmed with jealousy. He confronts her, and learns  
that her need for a Watcher--preferably him--was entirely legitimate.  
When he realizes that he wasn't there for her when she needed him, he  
is overcome with guilt. Buffy forgives him, and B/G smoochies ensue.  
It is up to you whether Giles stays strictly as a boyfriend, or  
whether Buffy gives her new Watcher the boot.  
Your story must have the following required elements:  
1) A legitimate reason that Buffy would really need a Watcher, and  
that the combined Scoobies can't meet that need. (Perhaps Buffy lost  
a limb in a fight and needs to learn to slay without it, or there are a  
series of books in languages that none of the Scoobies know, or there  
is a prophecy that mentions an active Watcher...)  
2) "Scary Dawn" reading Giles the riot act for not agreeing to serve  
as Buffy's Watcher when she asked him.  
3) A snotty Watcher, who brings out Giles' inner Ripper.  
4) Mention of Buffy's jealousy over Kendra and/or Faith, when she  
thought that Giles liked the other Slayers more than her.  
5) Buffy's unconditional acceptance and forgiveness of Giles, no  
matter what he said to her when he refused to serve as her Watcher.  
************************************************************************

It had been a month since Giles had left.

After getting over the hurt and anger that she had felt at him, Buffy realized that he had been right. She had been using him and treating him unfairly. After he had left, she had really started thinking. She had realized that no matter how much she didn't want to be here, she was here and she was just going to have to deal with it.

The first thing she had done was to have a talk with Dawn. There had been screaming and yelling, but had ended with tears and hugs. Dawn had even admitted to the shoplifting she had done. Buffy made Dawn either return what she had stolen or pay for it. Luckily none of the stores had pressed charges.

Her next task was to have a talk with Willow. It went much the same as her talk with Dawn. Tara's leaving had really upset Willow and she finally agreed that she had a problem. Willow said that she would talk to Tara to see if she knew any type of magical AA. Tara helped Willow find a counselor who specialized in "abnormal" cases. Willow had gone cold turkey with her magic use. Some days were harder than others, but she was doing it. Her therapist said that if she continued to do well she would be set up with a coven outside of Sunnydale. They would show her how to control her magic and not let it control her. Willow had also managed to get a part time job so she could help Buffy out with some of the expenses.

Continuing with her list of people to talk to, Buffy's next stop was Spike's crypt. She had told him in no uncertain terms that she wasn't interested in him and that kissing him had been a mistake. Spike had gotten angry and tried to kiss her again. She had thrown Spike against the wall and left. She hadn't heard from him since, which she was very much grateful for.

Her last task had been the hardest: finding a job. The only place that would hire a college dropout with basically no skills, other than slaying that is, was Doublemeat Palace. The pay was crap, but the hours worked for her and at least she could keep her and Dawn fed, clothed, and housed. She worked one shift during the day while Dawn was in school. Then she picked Dawn up from school, fed her dinner, went back for a night shift, and patrolled. Xander had agreed to take Dawn to school in the morning so that Buffy could get some sleep before her day shift at work. Xander had also taught Buffy how to drive and she had managed to pass her driving test. Being able to drive her mom's car made things a little easier on Buffy and she was grateful for that.

Thursday was the day it all came apart.

It started like every other day. Buffy made sure Dawn got up and then went back to bed for a couple more hours of sleep. Unfortunately this morning, Buffy forgot to reset the alarm after she got Dawn up. When she woke up again, she saw that it was ten minutes before her shift was supposed to start. She leaped out of bed, threw on her work clothes, grabbed her purse, and was out the door.

She was running late so she was speeding a little as she drove through the streets of Sunnydale. All of a sudden a dog ran into the road in front of her car. She hit the breaks and swerved to avoid hitting the dog. Unfortunately, she realized too late that there was a giant tree in the direction that she had just veered. There was a loud crash when the car hit the tree. Buffy felt an excruciating pain in her leg and then everything went black.


	2. The News

Willow only had one class that morning so she was home by 11:30. She had just made herself lunch when the doorbell rang. She went to the door and opened it to find two police officers standing on the doorstep. Willow immediately became nervous. None of the Scoobies had ever had any luck with the police. She hoped they weren't here to take Dawn away.

"Is there a problem?" she asked hesitantly.

"I'm Officer Day, and this is my partner Officer Bailey," the man said gesturing to the woman by his side. "Does a Buffy Summers live here?"

"Yes," Willow replied. "She's at work right now. Is there something I can do for you?"

"Excuse me," Officer Day said. "What's your name?"

"Willow Rosenberg," she replied nervously.

"Do you live here?" he asked.

"Yes," Willow answered. "I live here with Buffy and her younger sister. Buffy and I have been friends since high school and when her mom died, I moved in to help."

Officer Bailey stepped forward and said, "Willow, I'm afraid you friend Buffy, has been in an accident."

Willow gasped. "What happened? Is she okay?"

Officer Bailey continued, "She was in a car accident about an hour ago. Someone in the neighborhood where she crashed called an ambulance and Buffy was raced to the hospital. It was a pretty serious accident. Buffy is still in surgery, but the doctors believe that she'll make it."

Willow took all this in and went into action. "I have to go pick up her sister at school."

"We can take you there and then bring you to the hospital," Officer Day said.

"Thank you," Willow said. She quickly locked the house and followed the officers to their car.

**************

They pulled up at the school and Willow got out. She went to the principals officer and had them call Dawn out of class. When Dawn walked in and saw Willow she almost passed out. She didn't want to lose her sister again. "Please…no…" was all she managed to get out.

Willow rushed to her side and gave her a hug. "She's alive," she reassured the teenager. "But she was in a car accident and is at the hospital." She and Dawn quickly made their way outside to the police car and were soon on their way to the hospital.

When they got there, Willow thanked the officers again for the ride and she and Dawn rushed inside. The were directed up to the third floor where they were told they would have to wait for the doctor. Willow told Dawn to wait there and went to find a phone. She called the Magic Box and told Anya what was going on. Anya said that she would close up early and she and Xander would be over as soon as possible. Willow then went back and sat with Dawn. Neither of them said much, both were too worried about Buffy.

Just as Anya and Xander showed up a tired looking man in surgical scrubs approached them. "Is one of you Buffy Summers' sister?"

"I am," Dawn said nervously. "Is she okay?"

"She's out of surgery and doing fine," the doctor said. "She hasn't woken up yet but she was heavily sedated."

Dawn jumped up, "Can I see her?"

"In a minute," the doctor replied. "I need to talk with you about something first." He paused for a moment, not wanting to have to deliver this piece of bad news to these young people. "Buffy was in a very serious accident. She is extremely lucky not to have been injured more seriously than she was. Unfortunately, she did very serious damage to one of her legs." He looked at the apprehension on everyone's faces. He hated this part of the job. "I'm afraid there was just too much damage to the lower part of Buffy's left leg. We had to amputate it below the knee."

Dawn looked shell shocked. Willow let out a small gasp. Xander and Anya just hugged each other close. No one knew what to say. How would Buffy survive with the loss of her leg?

The doctor gave them a chance to let this sink in before continuing, "Buffy will be able to get a prosthetic limb and should be able to do almost everything that she once did. She will have to go through some intense therapy both physically and emotionally and she will need all of you to be there for her. But," he cautioned, "you can't do everything for her. You can't let her quit. If she depends on you too much, she won't be able to do half the things she will be able to do. If you have any questions you can have one of the nurses page me. I am Dr. Nichols. She's in her room if you would like to see her. You may all stay if you promise to be quiet. She probably won't wake up until tomorrow morning though." With that he left the stunned group to themselves.

"I'm staying," Dawn said with no room for argument. She didn't care if she had school tomorrow. Her sister needed her more. She had finally gotten the old Buffy back and she wasn't about to lose her again. She walked down the hall to her sisters room without waiting for an answer.

"I'll stay with Dawnie," Xander said. "I can get the day off tomorrow."

"I would," Willow said, "but I can't really afford to miss many more classes."

Anya, who had yet to say anything, finally spoke up. "Should we call Giles?"

Willow and Xander glanced at each other. They both knew how mad and hurt Buffy had been when he left. Willow spoke up first and said, "Maybe we should wait until Buffy's awake. She can decide when she wants to tell Giles. She may want to tell him herself."

They all went down the hall to see Buffy. Xander pulled up a chair next to Dawn and held her as she cried for her sisters loss. Willow and Anya said their good nights and went home. Anya invited Willow to stay over night at the apartment. Willow agreed. Neither of them wanted to be alone tonight.


	3. The Plans

The next morning when Buffy woke up she was very disoriented. [Where am I?] She moaned waking Dawn and Xander. [And why do I hurt so much?] Dawn quickly jumped out of her chair and gave her sister a hug. "Buffy!" she cried.

"Dawn?" Buffy said. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"You were in a car accident," Dawn told her sister. She hoped Xander would get back quickly with the doctor. She didn't want to have to be the one to tell her sister about her leg.

Buffy tried to think of the last thing she could remember. "Is the dog okay?" she asked.

Dawn looked at her sister wondering if the pain medication was affecting her brain. "What dog?" she asked.

"I remember now," Buffy replied. "I was running late for work. All of a sudden there was this dog and I swerved to avoid him. Guess I swerved into a tree. Good thing for Slayer healing. I should be fine in a couple of days."

Dawn smiled uneasily at her sister. Just then Xander walked in with the doctor.

"Ah, Miss Summers," Dr. Nichols said. "It's good to see you awake."

"Thanks, Doc," Buffy replied. "And it's Buffy. So when can I get out of here."

Dr. Nichols glanced at Dawn who shook her head in response. Buffy caught this and said nervously, "What's wrong? Am I dying or something? Please tell me I'm not."

"You're not dying, Buffy," Dr. Nichols began. "But you were seriously injured in the accident."

"I know. I can feel it," Buffy said. "I'm sure I'll be fine in a few days though."

"Unfortunately," Dr. Nichols continued. "You did some serious damage to the lower half of your left leg."

"But it will heal right?" Buffy interrupted nervously. "I'm not paralyzed or something am I?"

"You're not paralyzed," Dr. Nichols said. "But we did have to amputate."

Buffy stared at him. Her mind not able to comprehend what he was saying. She noticed that Dawn was holding her hand tighter as if trying to absorb the shock for her. "Amputate?" she managed to get out. She looked down the bed at where her feet should have been and she saw only one. Silent tears fell down her cheeks. [Why?] she thought. [How am I supposed to slay and take care of Dawn with only one leg?]

Dr. Nichols gave her a moment to let this sink in before he continued. "You will be able to get a prosthetic attachment to walk with. There is no reason you shouldn't be able to do anything you did before the accident. It will take time, patience, and hard work on your part though. Are you willing to give it a try?"

Buffy thought long and hard about this. She had finally come to terms with her resurrection and now this. She knew, though, that she wouldn't give up again. It was going to be hard, especially the slaying, but she knew she could do it. Buffy looked up at the doctor with a determined look on her face. "I'll do it," she said. "How soon can I get it?"

Dawn gave her sister a hug and smiled. She was relieved. She had been afraid Buffy would give up again. She didn't want to lose her again. She also decided to do whatever she could to help.

The doctor arranged for Buffy to have a fitting for a prosthetic later that day and she would begin therapy with it tomorrow. The doctor also told her that she would be able to go home in a week, but she would still have to come back daily for therapy for at least a month depending on how adept she was with the prosthetic. After he left Dawn asked, "What can I do to help?"

Buffy regarded her younger sister carefully. She was glad that Dawn had finally matured and grown up. "Well," Buffy began. "You are going to need to do a lot of the chores until I learn how to walk again."

Dawn made a face but said, "Yeah, I can do that."

Buffy smiled. "Xander, could you and Dawn go by the house and get my address book? I have a few phone calls I need to make."

Xander smiled and said, "Sure. No problem." He was glad to see that his friend seemed to be handling this loss so well. "Then we'll swing by the Magic Box and pick up Anya."

"Great," Buffy replied. "Could you bring some food, too? Hospital food sucks." Xander agreed and he and Dawn left.

**************

About an hour later a nurse came and got Buffy. When Buffy returned to her room it looked like nothing had happened. Now when you looked at the end of the bed you saw two feet.

Willow and Tara had come by to visit Buffy after their classes had gotten out. They walked into the room to find their friend in tears. Willow rushed to her side and said hurriedly, "Buffy, what's wrong?"

Buffy looked at Willow tearfully and said, "It itches, Willow. But I can't scratch it because it's not there."

Willow pulled her into a hug and rubbed her back soothingly. She shared a glance with Tara. They had done research on amputations at the school library today and knew all about phantom pain and things like that.

Buffy managed to get herself under control and said, "Thanks, Will."

Willow just smiled. "So where are Xander and Dawnie?" she asked.

"They went to pick up some things from the house, Anya, and food," Buffy replied. Just as she finished her sentence the three missing people walked into the room laden down with Chinese food. "Food!" Buffy cried and everyone laughed.

After they had all pigged out Willow said, "Buffy, we all know how hard this is for you and we want to help in anyway possible. Just tell us what you need."

Buffy looked around at her friends and felt such love for them all. She knew that with them here, she could get through this. "Thanks you guys. First, Willow, I hope you don't mind switching rooms with me. I'm going to need the extra space."

"Not a problem," Willow replied. "We can get everything switched around by the time you get home from the hospital."

"Great," Buffy said. "Xander, I'm going to need you to make some adjustments to the house so it will be easier for me. I'm not sure exactly what, you'll probably have to talk to the doctor to find out the specifics."

"Sure, Buff," he replied. "I'd be glad to."

"Dawn, I need you back in school on Monday," Buffy said. Before Dawn could protest she continued, "There's nothing you can do for me while I'm still in the hospital. Besides, I'll be in therapy most of the day."

"All right," Dawn agreed.

Anya, not wanting to be left out, said, "You'll need money. I can give you a loan. And I won't charge you any interest."

Buffy tried not to laugh at Anya's well meaning comment. "Thank you, Anya, but I'm actually going to try and get a hold of my dad. It's time he started taking at least some part in our lives. Even if it's only financial."

"What about patrolling?" Tara brought up. She knew no one wanted to mention it, but she felt they needed to talk about it.

Buffy chewed on her lip thoughtfully. She supposed she could always call Angel, but she really didn't want to go down that road unless she had to. "Will," she said. "Could you go by Spike's crypt and see if he'd be willing to patrol? If not, then I guess we might have to call Angel."

Willow nodded. "Sure I'll go over there now. Tara?" Tara nodded and they headed out.

Buffy turned to Xander, "Can Dawn stay with you guys until I get out of here?" With Willow going cold turkey with her magic, she didn't want to put the added burden of taking care of a sixteen year old on her.

"Sure, Buff," he replied. The three of them said there good nights and left.


	4. The Phonecalls

When Buffy was alone she pulled out the address book Dawn had brought for her. She opened it up to the last number she had for her father. She picked up the phone next to her bed and dialed it. It rang five times. Just as she was about to hang up a breathless voice came on the line, "Hello?"

"Dad?" Buffy asked. Surprised that she might actually have gotten in touch with him.

"Buffy? Is that you?" Hank asked.

"Yeah, dad, it's me," Buffy replied. "Daddy, I was in a car accident and I'm in the hospital."

"What?" Hank said. "What can I do?"

Buffy was surprised that he actually volunteered to help. "Do you think you could come to Sunnydale for a few days? There are some things I need to talk to you about."

"Sure," Hank replied surprising his daughter again. "I can drive down tomorrow. Where is Dawn staying?"

"With a friend of ours," Buffy answered. She thought she was going to go into shock if her dad continued acting like an actual father. "Listen, dad, I'm tired. I'll talk to you when you get here tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure," Hank said. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Buffy hung up the phone in a daze. Had her father actually been concerned and said he was coming to Sunnydale? Miracles really do happen. [One down, one to go,] she thought. She flipped the pages in her address book until she came to the right one. She had stared at this number so many times, but had never called it. At first because she was too angry, but then because she didn't know how to say she was sorry and because she wanted to wait until she had done something to make him proud. When Angel had left, her heart had broken, but when Giles left, it felt like her soul had been ripped in half. She had slowly fallen for Giles since before Riley left and secretly thought that it was one of the reasons the two of them hadn't worked out. She wanted Giles to come back, but she was calling because she needed him to come back. She needed her Watcher so that she could learn to fight again. She couldn't have Spike or Angel always guarding the Hellmouth; that was her job. She picked up the phone and began dialing. She wasn't sure what time it was over there, she just hoped that he was home.

"Hello?" Giles said picking up his phone.

Buffy almost dropped the phone; she had missed him so much.

"Giles?" she said. "It's Buffy."

Giles was surprised. He hadn't heard from Buffy since he had left. He had talked to the others, but not to Buffy. He hoped she had finally forgiven him for leaving. "It's good to here from you," he said.

"It's good to be talking to you," Buffy replied. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you, too," Giles said.

"Giles, I need you to come home," Buffy blurted out.

Across the ocean, Giles sighed. He had hoped that Buffy had had time to mature while he was gone and not need to depend on him. "You don't need me there," he tried to say patiently.

"Yes, I do," Buffy replied. "I need a Watcher."

"Buffy," Giles said beginning to get exasperated. He was tired of having this conversation with her. "You do not need a Watcher. You are a fine Slayer and I have taught you all that you need to know."

"But Giles you don't understand…" Buffy began but Giles interrupted her.

"Look, Buffy, you are just going to have to grow up and learn to take responsibility for yourself and your life. I am not going to do it for you. Stop being so damn immature." The next thing Buffy heard was the dial tone. Tears flowed down her cheeks. She couldn't believe that Giles had hung up on her. He hadn't even let her explain. She knew that if Giles knew what had happened, he would probably be on the next flight back. She knew that if she had one of the gang call him and tell him he would come back. He had hurt her, though, when he had refused to even listen to her. Besides, she didn't want him to come back just because he felt responsible for her. She wanted him to come back because he missed her. It had been a long day and eventually she cried herself to sleep.


	5. The New Watcher

The next few days passed in a blur. During the day she would have therapy and at night the gang would come and visit. Her dad had come down the next day just as he promised. He and Buffy had a long talk and he agreed to help her and Dawn out financially. He also apologized for being such an absent father and vowed to make it up to them. Buffy smiled, but didn't hold her breath. That her father had done this much, was a miracle to her.

Spike patrolled and then came and stood watch over Buffy at the hospital. The first night he had come, he and Buffy had had a long talk. He had told her that he had just needed some space after her rejection, but he was still here to help. Buffy was glad that she had him on her side because she knew that she would need him. Spike was afraid that once the demons knew the Slayer was injured, they would come after her. So far they had been lucky.

Finally it was Friday and Buffy could go home. She still had to use a crutch a lot when she walked with her prosthetic but she was getting better at it every day. Xander and Dawn were coming to pick her up while the girls made dinner at home. When they got home, they had a great big supper and even Spike came. Eventually all the food had been demolished and the dishes washed. Everyone moved into the living room to talk.

"So, Slayer, what're you going to do about fighting?" Spike said. "I mean there's only so much I can do and I can't be here during the day."

"I'm going to call the Watcher's Council and see if they have anyone who could train me to fight like this," Buffy replied.

"What about Giles?" Willow asked.

"I already talked to Giles," Buffy said somewhat sadly. "He doesn't want to come back to Sunnydale."

"What?!" Xander cried. He was outraged that Giles would just leave Buffy at the hands of the Council. "Doesn't he care what happened to you?"

"He doesn't know," Buffy told them. "I tried to tell him, but he didn't really give me a chance."

"I can call him and tell him," Willow volunteered.

"No," Buffy said. "I think it's probably better this way. Look, it's getting late and I'm kinda tired. Thanks, guys, for everything you've done."

***************

Buffy called the Council the next morning and informed them of her situation and of her need for a new Watcher who would be capable of training her. They agreed to send someone immediately.

Monday morning the doorbell rang. Buffy opened it to find a distinguished looking man in tweed at her door. "Let me guess," Buffy said. "You must be my new Watcher."

"My name is Nigel Davis," the man replied. "You may call me Mr. Davis. I take it you are the Slayer."

"That'd be me," Buffy answered. She stepped aside to let him in. Even during the day you couldn't be too careful. "Would you like some tea?"

"That would be fine," Nigel said. Buffy led him into the kitchen. After she had prepared the tea, she sat down with him at the counter. Mr. Davis took a sip and looked her straight in the eye. "I've read your file," he said. "I know all about your attitude and your tendency to not follow rules. Let me tell you now that I will not tolerate that kind of behavior. Learning to fight with your disability will be extremely hard work and I will not put up with anything less. If you are not prepared to do everything I tell you and to follow my rules, tell me now and I will leave."

Buffy looked at him and bit back a retort. She could tell he was serious. She hated having to do this, but she knew that if she were ever going to learn how to fight again, she would need him. And she needed to fight. She knew that the demons would still come after her and she had to be able to protect Dawn. Resigned, she said, "I got it." Mr. Davis smiled and finished his tea.

*************

After that, life fell into a pattern for Buffy. In the morning she would get up and go to the hospital for therapy. Luckily, Nigel had gotten a car and was able to take her. After her therapy she would go home and train with Nigel until early evening. Exhausted she would drag herself upstairs to the bathroom to soak in the tub. She was glad to have her own bathroom. Xander had put in a handle bar for her so it would be easier to get herself in and out of the tub. More often than not, by the time she was finished with all her exercises, she would find her stump bleeding or bruised. The doctors would tell her not to push herself so hard, but Mr. Davis always pushed her to do so much. She was afraid to speak up for fear that he would leave before her training was finished so she kept quiet and only cried in the privacy of her bath or bedroom.


	6. One Month Later

{One Month Later}

Giles was beginning to worry. Ever since his phone call with Buffy, he had barely spoken to any of the others. Every time he called they were always busy or on their way out the door. Even Anya, who used to love to tell him about all the money the shop was making, just sent him reports in the mail now. He feared something was wrong, but whenever he managed to get one of them on the phone, they always said things were fine. He missed them all dearly and he was saddened at not being able to at least talk to them anymore. These were his thoughts as he drove to the Watcher's Council headquarters. He hadn't stepped foot inside this building since he had first returned from England. He didn't remember much of that visit except for Quentin Travers' smug face and hoped he wouldn't see him this time. The only reason he was going was because a friend of his had asked for his help with some research. Giles had almost made it to the library when he ran into Quentin. Giles cursed his luck under his breath but managed to say, "Good day, Quentin."

Quentin smiled inwardly at his luck. He would now get the chance to rub in Giles' face the fact that his Slayer had a new Watcher. "Rupert. It's good to see you."

Giles glanced at Quentin's smug face and wondered what was going on in the man's head. "And why is that Quentin?"

"Well," Quentin began, "I thought you'd like to know how Nigel is doing with Miss Summers."

Giles couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. "What is Nigel doing in Sunnydale?"

Quentin smiled. This was even better than he had thought. Giles had no idea that the Slayer had a new Watcher. "Don't you know?" he asked. "Miss Summers called us and asked us to send her a new Watcher. It seemed you no longer wanted the job."

Giles wanted to hit the man for the obvious pleasure he took from this conversation.

Quentin said, "Well I must be going. Council business you know. Good day, Rupert."

After Quentin left it gave Giles a moment to think. He was mad. [How could Buffy have asked for another Watcher? She wouldn't accept Wesley so why would she accept anyone but me? Of course it's not like I've been there.] That thought gave Giles pause and gave way to a new line of thinking. [Buffy hates the Watcher's Council. She would never call them unless it was truly an emergency.] Giles was nervous now. He remembered how he hadn't talked to anyone there in awhile. He walked quickly to the library and informed his friend that something had come up that he had to deal with.

On the ride back to his flat Giles wondered why they hadn't called him and told him what was going on. All of a sudden, it hit him like a brick in the head. [Buffy's phone call.] It had been a little over a month ago. He remembered that she had said she needed a Watcher. Not that she wanted him to come home, but that she needed a Watcher. [Oh, dear Lord,]he thought. [And I hung up on the poor girl.] He decided right then that it was time he took a trip to Sunnydale.


	7. The Lecture

Back in Sunnydale, Dawn was angry. She was angry at Giles for not listening to Buffy and she was angry at Buffy's "new Watcher". Mr. Davis was a jackass. He knew the pain he put Buffy through. Buffy and Dawn had grown increasingly closer since the accident. It was Dawn who helped Buffy the most. She would help Buffy with her prosthetic and other things around the house. Buffy had tried to keep the worst from Dawn, but Dawn wouldn't have it. Dawn wanted to tell off Mr. Davis, but she couldn't. She knew Buffy needed to know how to fight, but Dawn didn't like what he was doing to her sister. Dawn however had promised Buffy that she would keep her mouth shut. So Dawn continued to help Buffy around the house and to hold her when she cried. It was just her and Buffy in the house now. Willow and Tara had gotten back together and they had gotten their own place. Every Saturday night they would have a Scooby supper at the Summers' house. They had to wait until Mr. Davis left before Spike could come since Mr. Davis would never allow Buffy to work with a vampire. They all talked and laughed and had a good time. Buffy tried, but she was usually in pain and the others could tell, no matter how hard she tried to cover it up.

It was Saturday morning when Giles pulled up in front of the Summers' house. Buffy was at the hospital with Mr. Davis for her therapy. Dawn had just gotten up and was pouring herself some cereal when the doorbell rang. She wondered who it could be since everyone else just walked right in. She opened the door and was shocked to see Giles standing there. As much as she wanted to just reach out and hug him, she was still mad at him for what he had done to Buffy. "What do you want?" Dawn asked coldly.

Giles was surprised but her coldness. He guessed that Buffy must have told the others about their conversation. "May I come in please?" he asked.

Dawn thought this over. She nodded and he came in. She figured if she couldn't tell off Mr. Davis, she could at least tell of Giles. "Buffy isn't home right now," she said. "And when she gets back if she wants you to leave, you leave. Got it?"

Giles nodded and sat down on the couch. Before he could open his mouth Dawn was standing over him.

"How could you?" she accused. "She needed you so much and you just hung up on her."

"I'm…" he started to say but Dawn interrupted him.

"No," she said. "You don't get to talk until I'm through with you." She paced for a minute. "Do you know what she did after you left? She talked to me. We had a long talk and she started doing better. I started behaving and going to class. I helped around the house. She also talked to Willow. She helped Willow realize she had a problem and Willow got help. Willow works with a coven outside of Sunnydale now and she can use magic again without getting out of control. She and Tara have gotten back together and are living together again. She…" She had been about to tell him about Spike, but realized that he didn't need to know that. She continued, "She got a job. A really crappy, minimum wage job, but she got one so she could take care of me. She turned her life around because she wanted to make you proud of her again and what do you do? You hang up on her when she really needed you." Tears had started running down Dawn's face at the end of her speech. Giles reached for her, but she pulled away.

"I'm sorry, Dawn," Giles said. "I had no idea."

Dawn shook her head. "I'm not the one you need to apologize to," she said.

Giles nodded. "You're right," he said. "Will you at least tell me why Buffy needed a Watcher?"

Dawn got a pained look on her face, but said, "No. It's up to Buffy."

Giles was getting frustrated, "Look, Dawn, if there is some kind of demon or apocalypse or something I could help you."

Dawn just looked at him and said, "It's nothing like that and it's not my place to tell you."

Just then the door opened and Buffy walked in with Mr. Davis. She turned and saw Giles and almost passed out. She was glad she had worn pants today so Giles couldn't see what had happened to her leg. "Giles," she whispered. She got herself together and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"Buffy, we have to train," Nigel said stepping forward.

Buffy almost said something, but remembered that Nigel was her only hope. She turned back to Giles and said, "Mr. Davis is right, Giles. I have to train. If you don't have anywhere to stay yet you're more than welcome to stay here. You can actually have a bed this time since Willow and Tara have their own place. You can take my old room. Dawn can help you settle in. The gang is coming over for supper tonight so you can see everyone. I have to go change." She left the room to change.

Nigel turned to Giles and said, "I trust you won't interfere with my training of the Slayer while you're here, Mr. Giles." He then went out to the backyard to wait for Buffy.

"Pillock," Giles muttered under his breath. He turned to Dawn. "Buffy actually lets him tell her what to do."

Dawn looked at him sadly and said, "She doesn't have a choice. Come on, I'll help you unpack." Giles followed her up the stairs, not sure yet what was going on, but determined to figure it out.

Buffy was in her room changing and thinking about Giles. She wondered what could have possibly brought him to Sunnydale now. She hoped he didn't want to watch her train. She didn't know how to tell him about her leg. She looked at the clock and swore. She was running late and Mr. Davis would make her do more work.


	8. Giles Finds Out

Buffy was still training when Willow and Tara got there. Dawn had asked them to come early to help her make dinner. They were surprised to find Giles sitting on the couch. "Giles!" Willow cried excitedly. He barely had a chance to stand up before Willow gave him a hug. He hugged her back, glad to see that at least one person was glad to see him.

"Hello," Tara said shyly.

"Hello you two," Giles said. "You're both looking well."

"Thanks," Willow said happily. "You, too. So where's Buffy?"

Giles' smile faded. "She's still out training with Mr. Davis," he replied. "They've been out there all afternoon and I haven't been allowed out there. I don't know what Buffy's problem is."

Willow knew why Buffy didn't want Giles to see her train, but instead said, "Oh that's so cute! You're acting just like Buffy did when Kendra first came."

"What?" Giles asked, confused.

"You know," Willow answered. "When Kendra first came, Buffy was jealous of the way you two got along and now you're jealous of Buffy's new Watcher, not that there's really anything for you to be jealous of anyway since you were a much better Watcher."

"I am not jealous of Mr. Davis," Giles huffed. He was going to continue, but then the door opened again and Xander and Anya walked in.

"What are you doing here?" Anya asked bluntly. "Are you going to be memph," she started to ask, but was cut off by Xander's hand over her mouth. He gave her a look and she glared at him, but didn't continue her sentence.

"I decided to come visit you all," Giles said wondering what Anya had been about to say. He thought he might try and get her alone so he could figure out what was going on. "And how are you doing Xander?"

"Fine," Xander said shortly. "I'm going to go see if Dawn needs any help." He turned and walked into the kitchen. Giles sighed. Another person who was angry with him. They heard the back door close. Then Buffy and Dawn came into view on their way upstairs. Everyone could tell that Buffy was trying very hard not to limp.

Giles was immediately concerned. He rushed over to her and said, "Buffy are you all right."

"I'm fine," Buffy managed to get out between her tightly clenched teeth.

"Let me see," Giles said reaching for her pant leg to roll it up.

"No!" Buffy cried, but it was too late. Giles had already started to roll up her pants. He saw the metal and sat back.

"What…" he said confused.

"You guys tell him," Buffy said close to tears. She tried to make it the rest of the way up the stairs, but could feel her leg giving out. "Xander!" she called. Xander came running. He picked Buffy up and carried her up the stairs. Dawn followed close behind.

Giles picked himself up off the floor and turned to look at the three girls. "What happened?" he asked. He still couldn't believe what had just seen. How could he have not known that this had happened? "Well?" he said when no one spoke. The girls exchanged nervous glances. None of them really wanted to tell him. Willow was silently elected since she had known him the longest.

"Why don't we all sit down?" Willow suggested and they all did. Willow licked her lips nervously and then began. "Well, about a month ago, Buffy was in a car accident. It was pretty bad and, well, they had to amputate the lower part of her left leg. She has therapy at the hospital and walks pretty well on most days now. Then she trains with Mr. Davis. He's teaching her how to fight again."

Giles thought he was going to be sick. His poor Buffy had lost her leg and when she had reached out to him for help he had hung up on her. He didn't know what to say. Xander came back down the stairs and said, "Dawn's helping Buffy get ready for dinner. Can you guys come help me finish up in the kitchen?" The three girls stood and followed him into the kitchen leaving Giles to process what he had just been told.

Upstairs, Buffy and Dawn were in the bathroom. Dawn was helping to bandage and ice Buffy's stump. Buffy just sat there, silently crying, her head in her hands, trying to hide her pain from her sister. [What will Giles think of me now?] she thought to herself. [What am I going to say to him?] Dawn finished up and asked Buffy if she wanted to put the prosthetic on again or just use her crutches. Buffy opted on her crutches since she was in so much pain. Mr. Davis had really pushed her today. Buffy thought he was mad because Giles was there and was punishing her for it. Buffy and Dawn slowly made their way downstairs.

Giles looked up when he heard them on the stairs. Buffy was still wearing pants, but she had obviously taken off the prosthetic because one of the legs was pinned up to keep from getting her crutches caught in it. Giles wanted to cry for his Slayer's loss. He also didn't know how he was ever going to make what he did up to her. He jumped up, "Buffy can we talk please?"

Buffy looked at him and said, "Not tonight, please, Giles. We'll talk tomorrow, okay?" Giles nodded his head and they all went into the dining room for supper.


	9. The Ass Kicking

That night Giles went to say good night to Buffy. He saw the light under the door and was glad that she was still awake. He was about to knock when he heard Buffy and Dawn talking. He didn't mean to eavesdrop, but he couldn't help but listen. It sounded like they were arguing.

"Just drop it Dawn please," Buffy pleaded.

"No," Dawn replied. "Mr. Davis pushes you too hard. Even the doctors say you're pushing yourself too hard. I don't care what he says he's not a good Watcher."

"Well, he's the only one I have," Buffy said irritably. "I need to learn how to fight again."

"I know," Dawn sighed. "I just wish you wouldn't let him treat you like this. How many times have you ended up pulling your stitches or having to ice down your leg? It's not good for you."

"Look, Dawn," Buffy replied. "I know you mean well, but I'm tired so let's just drop it okay."

"All right," Dawn said.

Giles hurriedly went back to his room so the girls wouldn't know he had been listening in on their conversation. When he got there he started pacing. He couldn't believe what he was hearing. What nerve did Nigel have treating his Slayer like this? Not even caring that she was hurting herself and was in obvious pain. He was not going to stand for it. He grabbed his jacket and quietly made his way downstairs. He stopped when he realized that he had no idea where to find Nigel. He heard a noise on the stairs and turned around. Dawn stood there smiling at him. She handed him a piece of paper. Giles looked at it and saw that it was an address. He started to say something, but Dawn put a finger to her lips. Giles nodded gratefully and left. Dawn tiptoed back upstairs, glad that Giles was going to take care of Mr. Davis for her.

Giles made it to Nigel's small townhouse in good time. He knocked rapidly on the door. It took a minute before Nigel came to the door. He opened it and said, "What do you want Mr. Giles? It's late." Giles didn't bother answering he just pushed Nigel back and entered. He didn't stop pushing him until he hit a wall. "What are you doing?" Nigel asked nervously.

"I won't let you continue hurting my Slayer, Nigel," Giles replied.

"She's not your Slayer any longer Rupert. She's mine. And I will train her how I see fit," Nigel responded.

"She'll never be your Slayer, Nigel," Giles said. "And the name's Ripper." With that Giles punched Nigel in the gut. Nigel bent over and clutched his stomach. Giles then punched Nigel in the face sending him to the ground. "Get up you big sissy," Ripper commanded. When Nigel made no move to get up, Giles kicked him in the kidneys. Nigel moaned in agony. "Get out of Sunnydale and stay away from Buffy or you'll have me to answer to." Giles gave him one last kick and then made his way back to Buffy's.


	10. The Apology

AN: This will be the last chapter of 'A New Watcher'. I want to thank everyone for their lovely reviews. I also want to let you know that a sequel will be coming shortly.

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The next morning Buffy slept in. When she went down to the kitchen for breakfast she found Giles waiting for her. "Good morning," he said quietly.

"Good morning," she replied.

They both sat in silence for a few minutes, neither of them knowing where to start. Giles decided that since he had gotten himself into this mess he might as well start. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Buffy glared at him. "I tried," she said, "but if you recall, you hung up on me."

Giles had the good grace to look guilty before replying, "You could have had one of the others call me."

"I didn't think I should have to," Buffy replied angrily. "Besides," she continued quietly, "I didn't want you to come back because I lost my leg. I wanted you to come back because…because you missed me." She had caught herself just in time. She had been about to say 'because you loved me.' .

Giles looked at the beautiful, young woman in front of him. He had seen her grow from an impetuous girl into a vibrant and thoughtful woman. After she had been brought back, though, she hadn't been the same and it had broken his heart; so he had left. He knew that he had to make all this up to her somehow. "Buffy I'm so sorry. I was wrong to hang up on you and I'll never forgive myself for not listening to you. I'm sorry for leaving you in the first place. I just couldn't take it. I couldn't stand seeing the woman I loved fading away." There he had said it. He didn't know what her reaction would be. He just hoped she didn't hit him.

Buffy almost fell off her stool. [Did he just say he loved me?] "Can you repeat that?" she said.

Giles thought she meant the apology so he said, "I'm so sorry Buffy and I'll understand if you don't forgive me." He was going to continue but Buffy interrupted him.

"No, not that," she said impatiently. "What you said about the woman you loved."

Giles got up, took her hand, looked her in the eye and said, "Buffy, I love you. Please forgive me."

Buffy thought her heart would explode. She jumped off the stool and into his arms. "I love you, too," she said through her tears, "and of course I forgive you."

Giles just held her tight. He couldn't believe that not only did she forgive him, but she loved him, too. Eventually he set her back down. He was a little nervous because he still hadn't told her what he had done to Nigel last night. "Um… Buffy," he said. "I need to tell you something."

Buffy got really nervous. [Oh, no,] she thought. [He's probably going back to England.] "What?" she asked trying not to cry.

"Well, I sort of beat up Nigel last night," Giles replied hanging his head in shame. He looked up when he heard Buffy laughing.

She pulled him into another hug. "Thank you, thank you, thank you," she said and gave him a big kiss. "He was a jackass. Besides, now that I have my real Watcher back, I don't need him anymore." Giles just held her, content to keep her in his arms forever. He knew they would still have a lot of work to do to get Buffy back into fighting shape, but it didn't matter because they would do it together.

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AN – a sequel will be coming shortly


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